Upholstered metal chair



Oct. 26, 1943. H. l.. WALKER UPHOLSTERED METAL CHAIR Filed April 22, 1939 INVENTOR pap Z. 4u/rfi ATTORNEY 4the construction shown Ain Fig. 41-.

or transportationV thereof.

Patented Oct. 26, 1943 UNITED vSUTIUIS 4PATENT OFFICE 2,332,619V e "Y A `UPHoLsTERE METAL CHAIR o Harold L. ,Walken Brooklyn, NY., assigner to Esmco Auto Products Corp., Brooklyn. N. Y., a corporation of New York Appliatinpril 22, 1939, seria1N0.z69,36o

4 claims. lol. 15s- 184) This invention vrelates tometal chairs emnloY- ing a suitable frame with coupled seat and backrest members supportedinfthei framein constructing a chair; and the object of the invention is to provide seatand vbackrest. members com-1;

posed of similar or substantiallyV similarM- sheet metal stampings, and more particularlyto the arrangement of upholsterywupon the outer` exposed surfaces of the` seatA and backrest"members in the form of suitable cushioning material and fabric facings ,toV render chairs ofthe type and kind in questiongmore comfortable and to eliminate direct contacty withuthe sheet `metal of the seat and backrest of the chair; a further object being to Iprovide aimeans for securing the facing to` flanged edges of the seatto form a strong and water-proof coupling and 4also in providing spaced tubular fastening means to receive bolts, screws or other devices inzmountingjthe seat or backrest in connectiomwith itssupportr and also to space the vsame from the support to eliminate chai-lng of the facing material; a furmaterially reduce manufacturing costs and to simplify stacking of the chair parts for shipment and transportation; and afurtherobject being to ther object being to provide a `simple andeco `nomical method of constructing the frame and `seat ,andba'ckrestV-membersof a chair so as to construct a seat or backrest. of the character described in accordance lwith the method set" forth;` and with these and other objects` in Ah'view,

ltheinvention consists inadevice of vthe class vandfor the purposespeciiied whichis simple in construction and which is rconstructed Vas hereinafter described and claimed. n

, The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which Athe accompanying drawing forms a part,in which the separate partsV of my improvement `are designated by suitable reference characters in each Which?. 1 l

Fig. `1 is a central crosssectionalview through a chair made according to my invention.l i ,o Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the chair. 4

of the views, and in j In Figs. 1 and f2 of the'drawing I lin 'avefindicated for thepurpose of illustrating one method of carrying my invention into effect,a chair frame I0 consisting of l a single elongated tube or rod which is fashioned` to form centrally of the rod a 4U-shaped base consisting of a back cross-memberV I I and forwardly extendingrandvparallel side Fig. 3 vis an enlarged. section on` the line 3 3 @i5 members I2 continuing at their forward ends in upwardly extending and slightly reclining leg `members I3, the upperends of which are curved backwardly asv seen at. I4 to extend into the armrests I5, thus producing as viewed Vfrom the side of the chair, note Fig. 1, a substantially U-shaped spring chair'frame which provides resilient movement of the seat member I 6 and backrest Il with respect to a supporting surface upon which the base parts I I and I2 are arranged,the curvature as at I8 providing Athis spring action. The frame I0 may be constructed of any suitable materialand may be painted, plated orf-,otherwise coated y to provide the desired finish thereto. However, in using certain types of `materials and metals, coatings or other iinishings are not` absolutely essential. This isespecially true in theuse of certain types of wood or rust or stain-proof metals.

The seat member I6 and backrest I'I are each of identical construction; that is to say, are made from a single sheet of material, such for example, as sheet metal having angularly :extending side flanges I9 and angularly extending end flangesmZll and .2LH The flanges 20 are so disposed with, re-V spect to the main body portionof thesheet-as to arrange the seat member I6 `and the backrest I1 in the desired angular relationship to each other as ris illustrated in'Figs. 1 and 4 of the draw ing; that is to say to maintain the forward end of the seat member slightly higher than the rear end thereof and to incline the backrest infthe manner shown to provide a comfortable chair. t

Arranged upon the outer surfaces of the seat ymember I6 and backresty I'I is suitable upholstery,

which in the construction shown, consists of a padding 22 of suitable cushioning material which may be offany desired thicknessdepending upon Vthe cushioning effect which is required.` This material may be suitably cemented or otherwise secured to the surface of the sheet fromwhich the seat member I6 and backrest I'I are formed, orl .simply laid thereon and retained in position by the facingsemployed for securingthe outer facving material 23 in position. l This facing mate- .rial may be of any type and kind of fabric such vas jcanvas, leatherettes, leather, and the like.

Thesel materials maybe of the same or contrasting colors or designs on thechair 4and seat member `depending entirely upon the ornamentation vdevices 26` for-securely coupling the flanges 2D together to form ofthe seat I6 and backrest "Il of the facing material.

a single L-shaped unit. One eyelet 25a is also employed centrally of the side flanges I9 of the backrestso as to receive bolts Zlin coupling the backrest to the"1ear ends of the arms I5;r The forward end portions of the flanges I9 of the seat member are somewhat enlarged as seen at ISQ.-

respect to each other through the medium of the bolts 26, and the two parts, namely seat and backrest, may be nested one within the other as seen in Fig.:'6 and a'series of the chair frames In these end portions are arranged two eyelets f 25h to receive two bolts 28, note Fig. 3, for attaching the forward end of the seat member with the upper ends of the legs I3.' The usejof the twof bolts in each leg I3 will maintain the seat and backrest in rigid position withinthe frame; thatl is to say, in conjunction with the blots '21.

, bolts or similar fastenings, the vassemblage of the In stating that the seat and backrestljare of 'is provided for supporting the edges of the facing upon'the 'inner surface-of the flanges, the facing beingstretched, as tight as possible,i'n 'the above operation. Holesarethen formed to receive the severalfastening devices YEil, 2da, y25, ZSa'and-"Z-Eb, kafter which such devices lare secured in position.

In the last operation it will `be -unders-tood'th'at i the rivets and eyelets'will form water-tight seals between the facing and the sheet material of the seatand backresta'nd will-also f's'ecu'r'ely support the facing against removal when subjected to stress and strain. It will beV apparent however,

that the stress or'strainisr taken up largely bythe foldvof the material-around `'the lower 4edges of the' flangesy and isvnot localized on the l fastening devices whichareemployed. The-final step in "completing the fior-mation of teach part, namely A'theseat'and backrest,censists in bendingth'e free ends of the flanges 2-I `inwardly Aas seen atia, note Fig. 5of`the -drawing,^so as te draw l:tl-ie facing material "23v tig-lA Ay 'upon the seat and backrest. The bendingftakes' p'lace 'inwardly ef the fastening devices'fia-andthe degre'e'fofbending frnayl'be -varied to 'ls-:tit diiferen-ti'ty-pes and kinds; of chairs or the"aniount lofstretchfre quired 'on' the'material.- fIn some instances-*the ifntrned-endsof the flanges 2-I1-m-ayparallelvthe body portion of thesheet instead of-bei-n'g'` ed outwardly as shown. I'

It will be apparent that instead Qff securing, "the padding to the Vlsurface of `the seat V'or vbacklrest, this padding maybe Isecured tot-he inner surface of the-facing sheet prior toattachment It will also appear `that the eyelets 25, 25a, 25h for-m washers which space "the facing materials*froml each other-'asseen in Fig. 4 and from the supports as illustratedffor example, in Fig. 3 ofv the drawing. 'IhisWillpreving materials -upon each other -or upon -the supports in the use of the vvchair. The rounded flanges vat the front vof the seat and-at the -top of Athe backrest produce -aY full-and Ycornpleteupholstere'd appearance and the securing devices at said edges are substantially invisible atthe fron-t of the chair. f.

Byconstructing a chair in fthe' manner de'- scribed, it will be understood that'finthe shipment or transportationthereof, the same may be shipped in a knock=dcwn or nestedjcondition;

ithat is-'to say, with thefseat and'baekrest re- I@ `arranged one withinA the other and side by side so as to minimize the vspace occupied by a.' relativelylarge number of chairs.

V seat- -and backrest may bey separately packed or may-be arranged between the bottom rails I2 and y In fact,` the larms-'I'Sof a seriesso'f'nested frames I0. By using chair may b e quickly performed.

In using stamped sheet metal inthe construction of the seat and backrest, it would be desirable to lacquer, paint, lithographv or otherwise "treat fthe v-sheetmaterial'-to Vprotect-the"'s'a'me y "from the weatherga'swell astdenhance the 'apl `I'oeana'rice of the 'entire chair; iThecoloring "ofthe 'back or'funderfaces' 'ofthe parts inHquestion-will preferably be" madefi-n "harmony with Vthe'facing 23- empl'yed to'producef'a'neat-and finished ap- 'peall'anjf 11V'. Y

In lproducingA I chairsfofthis ity-pe and kind for.

outdoor 'use it "isfdesirable te`l employ water-proof fabrics 'in the facings f2.3 and rust-'proof` hardware for the lfastenings as at 221,125,121 23, etc. It will also appe'arthat'theleyelets'25where'coupled tov gether' by lthe bolts 26 willform channels '29 beV tween-adjacent sur-faces ofthe flanges 2`0v'ffor 'the -free ldischarge' of rainwater or, the like therebetween, rencleringl the chair`v aange rouslyp'ointed out `the facingmaterial isflrstsevcured to thenangerzl andthen'by bendingathe portion 2 I a of the i flange, -the ffacing material/is Y Adrawn tightly across the 'surface-ofthe seal'tr backrest The iia'ges maybe otherwise drawn lattheperiplieral edges of the sheet'metalffrpl'nV vvwhich the seat' I6 vand. back-rest I1 #are "forrriedl 'i It will' o'fff course be' apparent that 'many- 4other aaaptations, af-the fundamenta lprincipieserfmy 4uwen-tion `inay bejprodu'ce'd',itfbeing'undrsted f' l'that the 'more'js'impler ferm of constructiorifis 'upholstered cha'iroffthe type and may be produced, Itwillappear 'that-the sideriiiiri'gesfiE4 are Aarranged at right angles-'to theA bedy'of tl-ie fsheet,

f vent 'any possible chang or rubbing oftlfafac lessf'than 90 and present relatively flatopposed l)surfaces when the two'flan'gesf'a-re"coupledf'to! l gether by the bolts 26. It will also appear-that Y the flanges 12|' are -wider than -the fiangesat least to--thed'egree of the (foldabl free'e'dgeportions-Z'Ibtheredf. "l f ofgafich'air I whereiiithe' seat" and' backrest bersare coupled together, asl-each 1r-ierlibermay 'be independently "supportefdjini a chair frame,

and-the chairframemaybe and constructionftheprsen Simply an illustration f b l the invention into effect.'

.oi-famme instances and4 "especial-ly in tha-production of 'mi moved fromv the -chair fra-me anddeta'ched with "i m highly practical for" It will of course'be understood that my i y Y tion is not necessarily limited, to the prcd llustrati'on being u'rtherixigre, Iin' some fastening devices for attachment to a suitable support, and still further in providing a washer or spacing medium for spacing the facing material from the surface of the support for the purposes stated.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a chair frame comprising a U-shaped base having upwardly extending and rearwardly and upwardly inclining front legs terminating at their upper ends in rearwardly extending armrests, of a seat and backrest unit comprising detachably related similar parts, each of said parts consistingfof a rectangular body of sheet material having depending side andend flanges, fabric facings arrangedupon outer surfaces of said parts with peripheral edges of the facings extending around said flanges onto inner surfaces thereof, fastening devices passed through the flanges and facings` at longitudinally spaced intervals to secure the facings thereto, adjacent end flanges of the seat and backrest each being disposed at the same predetermined angle to the body portion of the corresponding part, said predetermined angle being such as to arrange the seat and backrest at an angle slightly greater than 90 to each other, the fastening devices employed on said last named anges being in the form of eyelets and bolts passedtherethrough for rmly coupling the seat Vand backrest together, the fastenings centrally of the side flanges of the backrest being in the form of eyelets to receive bolts for coupling the backrest to the rear portion of the arms of the chair frame, and the forward end portions of the side anges of the seat having spaced eyelets receiving pairs of bolts for attaching the forward ends of the seat to the upper end portions of the front legs in mounting the seat and backrest in said chair frame.

2. In combination with a chair framecoinprislar body of sheet material having depending sideV and end flanges, fabric facings arranged upon outer surfaces of said parts with peripheral edges of the facings extending around said anges onto inner surfaces thereof, fastening devices passed through the flanges and facings at longitudinallyI spaced intervals to secure the facings thereto',

adjacent end flanges of the seat and backrest each being disposed at the same predetermined angle to the body portion of the corresponding part, said predetermined angle being such as to flanges of the backrest being in the form of eye-4 lets to. receive bolts for coupling the backrest to the rear portion of the arms of the chair frame, the forward end portions of the side lianges of the seat having spaced eyelets receiving pairs of bolts for attaching the forward ends of the seat to the upper end portions of the front legs in mounting .the seat and backrest in said chair frame, and a padding of cushioning material disposed inwardly of the facings on said seat and backrest throughout the entire area thereof.

i 3. In a chair, a seat and backrest-forming member comprising a large substantially rectangular Vbody having angularly extending side and end anges, the side flanges extending substantially at right angles to said body, one end flange extending at an angle to said body and having a relativelyflat surface throughout the length thereof, the other end ange being wider than the nrst named end flange and having a free inwardly bendable edge portion throughout the length thereof protruding beyond edges of said side flanges, a facing of fibrous material arranged on the outer surface of said body with peripheral edges thereof folded around and upon i inner surfaces of the side and end flanges, fastening devices passed through the anges at spaced lintervals in securing peripheral edges of the facing thereto, the fastening devices passed through the first named end flange being in the form of eyelets, and the portions of the eyelets overlying the facing of said flange protruding from the p flat surfacethereof to form bearing means adapted to support the surface of said facing in spaced relation to a member secured to said flange.

4.. In a chair a seat and backrest unit comprising two parts of similar shape and contour each part comprising a body portionhaving corresponding angularly extending side flanges and dissimilar angularly extending end flanges, one end flange of each part having a portion protruding beyond the side flanges thereof and adapted to be bent inwardly to form a rounded front edge on said seat and top Iedge on said backrest, the other end flanges of the seat and backrest being flat and secured together in parallel relation, said last named flanges each being disposed at the same predetermined angle with ing a U-shaped basehaving upwardly `extending V respect to the body portion of the corresponding part and said predetermined angle being such as to dispose the body portions of said parts at an angle of slightly more than 90 to each other, means centrally of the side fianges of the backrest and at the forward end of the side flanges of the seat member for maintaining saidseat member and backrest in a chair frame, a fabric facing arranged upon one surface of the backrest and seat member with the peripheral edge of the facing passed around the side and end anges and arranged upon inner surfaces of said flanges, fastening devices extending through the flanges l for securing the peripheral edges of'said facing thereto, the fastening device on said corresponding end flanges comprising registering grommets arrange the seat and backrest at an angle slightly g greater than 90 to eachother, the fastening devices employed on said last named flanges being in the form of eyelets and bolts passed therethrough for firmly coupling the seat and backrest together, the fastenings centrally of the Side 'Y adapted to receive coupling members for securing thev parts together, and the portions of said 

